The President withheld approval for the legislative initiative to cancel mandatory gender quotas and returned the bill to Parliament with detailed explanations for the decision.

Parliament is now deliberating over the President's veto on gender quotas.

Elene Rusetskaya, Chair of the Women's Information Center, and Maya Kuprava, a gender expert from the same institution, responded to the President's veto on the gender quota bill. Maya Kuprava, the gender expert, expressed support for the President's decision to veto the initiative. She emphasized the pivotal role of women in political participation, highlighting that without their active involvement, women's rights remain vulnerable. She also mentioned the concerns raised by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to the Venice Commission, underlining the discordance of the proposed law with European democratic and human rights standards, including recent legislative changes such as the abolition of gender quotas. "The President's veto on gender quotas protects women's rights by ensuring their political participation."- said Maia Kuprava.

Elene Rusetskaya, the Women’s Information Center Chair, extended gratitude to President Salome Zurabishvili for recognising the significance of the quota system and preventing its removal from the agenda. She lamented the government's shifting stance on gender quotas, noting its previous active support and subsequent abandonment of the cause, even on international platforms. Mrs. Elene Rusetskaya commended the President for aligning with the European path and safeguarding women's representation in the Georgian Parliament. She emphasized that while women's representation could exist without quotas, their abolition contradicts one of the twelve recommendations issued by the European Commission on gender equality, despite being previously deemed fulfilled.

"Grateful to President Zurabishvili for safeguarding the significance of the quota system amidst the unsettling shifts in Georgia."- Said Elene Rusetskaya.

The 'Girchi' proposal, seeking to eliminate the requirement for gender quotas in electoral list formation, was approved by Parliament on April 4. However, discussions within Parliament were held by disruptive elements, including sexist, misogynist, and insulting remarks.